Rocío González

Rocío has been always a big fan of design. While obtaining her Degree in Architecture, she experimented with resin-the same material of which buttons are made. Her hobby became an everyday project when she found a button factory and started making unique pieces of jewelry by reusing faulty buttons. This was the beginning of Greca, a sustainable design company that makes objects and fashion accessories from the discards of button factories. Founded in 2009, it was certified as a B Corporation in 2012. The brand’s impact has been measured not only through upcycled materials, but also in the work opportunities it provides cooperatives that produce its accessories.

As a result of this entrepreneurial journey, in 2015, Rocío and Lorena Núnez, Director of Totebag, co-founded PAPAstudio to provide purposeful entrepreneurs advice around design, tools, and strategy. The team participated in Columbia Business School’s Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Latin America Program in 2016, during which time Rocío was also a fellow of the Global Good Fund. Both programs focused Rocío on generating greater impact.

Rocío’s “aha moment” came during a study trip to Dharavi in Mumbai, India. In Dharavi, the biggest slum in Asia, she saw how discards became in scale products and opportunities for the most vulnerable people. To create meaningful impact, Rocío understood Greca had to be part of something bigger, scalable, and able to give back. This project became Daravi and is now the main project Rocío is leading: a model factory of products from discarded materials to create new jobs and give back, focused on women. In 2017, Rocío founded Daravi’s first factory and, once it’s up and running, has plans to replicate it throughout Argentina.

Mentors

Christa Carone, Group SJR; Lynn Voss, Greyhealth Group; Shelley Diamond, Young & Rubicam